The Things They're Trying to Tell Us Now
by Satine89
Summary: Tara Flanaghan, Ac Dec pushover, is in love. When Sharpay, her mortal enemy, finds out who her crush is, she blackmails the hapless Tara into telling him. Problem: Tara ISN'T in love with Troy, as Sharpay believes...
1. Chapter 1

**#1 – Don't Be So Naïve…**

The parade of Wildcats flooding back into East High was exuberantly excited about their senior year. As always, the perfect couple, Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez, led the procession of varied jocks, Ac Dec members, hip-hopping bookworms, theater nerds, and what have you. It was hard to ignore the pageantry – Gabriella was easily the most beautiful girl in school, and her confidence radiated for all to see, while Troy and Chad Danforth were just fun to watch, with their impromptu dancing and handsome faces.

At least, that was how Emily Houston viewed it. She adjusted the thin wire-frames over her blue eyes, looking at her reflection in her locker mirror. She had outdone herself today – her white denim jacket contrasted perfectly with her mocha-colored skin, and the pink shirt beneath it was perfect for her dark jeans. Emily clasped her hands together in delight.

"Perfect first day outfit, wouldn't you say, Tara?" Emily asked a girl to her right.

Tara gathered a large black binder from her locker, which was plastered with sheet music, formulas, and stickers from grocery store vending machines. She turned to Emily, her red hair, bunched into a ponytail, whipping behind her.

"You always look great," Emily responded quietly, looking to the floor. Her square-framed glasses slid down the bridge of her nose slowly.

Emily had been friends with Tara too long to not recognize the expression on her face. "You're worried about seeing him again, aren't you?"

"Of course I am!" Tara responded hurriedly, her face turning a delicate shade of pink. A few faces turned towards her – apparently the outburst was fairly loud. One of the faces was Taylor McKessie, Chad's girlfriend and Emily's cousin. Taylor laughed and walked over to the two of them.

"Hey girls," Taylor nodded.

"Hey Taylor," Emily responded. Tara waved at Taylor. Taylor rolled her eyes when she saw Tara.

"Worried about seeing Mr. Mystery Date, then?" Taylor inquired, looking to Emily.

"When isn't she?" Emily responded under her breath.

Taylor smiled at Tara, who stood pigeon toed and avoided Emily's eyes. She instead elected to stare at her black leg warmers and her white pleated skirt, hidden underneath her large blue Flashdance-esque sweater.

"If you just told me who you liked –" Taylor began.

Tara dropped her things on the ground. "Oh no. No, I can't, no, no, no… you'd laugh at me…"

Taylor raised her eyebrow with a confused look on her face. "…Tara, I'm not going to laugh at you. Who do you think I am?"

Tara went to respond, but she saw something – someone – behind Taylor and froze up. She dove down to the ground, going to collect her things, face flushed. The figure behind Taylor grimaced, pushing some blonde hair out of her face.

"Sharpay," Tara finally whimpered.

Taylor and Emily whipped around. Sure enough, it was Sharpay Evans, soon joined by her aimless brother Ryan. Tara got even stiffer and turned beet red.

"Hello, Tara," Sharpay leered at her.

"How's it going?" Ryan asked her, a lot friendlier than his twin.

Tara stared at the floor, doing everything in her power to not look him in the face. "I'm all right... and you?"

"I'm –"

Sharpay thrust a manicured hand in Ryan's face, cutting him off. He frowned, choosing to adjust his hat and let his eyes wander the hall.

"What do you want?" Emily spat. Taylor smiled warmly at Ryan, but she gave Sharpay the same cold eyes that Emily was giving her.

"I was just going to talk to Tara about the fall musical," Sharpay informed them. "You see, I don't care HOW well she can sing – she better not even THINK about trying out for it. Not with the way she looks now."

Tara choked on some spit, her face going from blood red to ashen white. Emily crossed her arms.

"What's wrong with her?" Taylor asked before shaking her head. "Oh yeah, I forgot… it's just you being you."

Sharpay shrugged snootily at her. "Come on, Taylor, she's dead ugly."

If Tara was trying hard not to say anything in her defense, Ryan was trying just as hard to ignore everything Sharpay was saying.

Emily stood between Taylor and Sharpay, who were now metaphorically shooting daggers at each other. "Sharpay, LEAVE. Come on, Taylor, I think Tara's having an aneurism…"

Sharpay glared at Emily for a second or two before turning on her heel and tromping off. Ryan snapped out of his funk and fell to the ground, helping Tara gather her things.

"I'm sorry that she's being so unreasonable," Ryan told her, his voice tinged with anger. Taylor leaned against Emily's locker and sighed.

"Everyone knows that Sharpay's had it in for Tara since fifth grade," Taylor muttered. "You don't need to apologize for her."

"But thank you," Tara whimpered, still not looking him in the eye. "I…" Tara cut off, biting her lip. Ryan gave a defeated smile.

"There's no reason to be afraid of her," Ryan said.

"Are you kidding?" Tara moaned, finally looking at him. "She's terrifying!" Tara clutched a binder close to her chest, letting her glasses fall down the bridge of her nose. Ryan pushed them up for her, laughing inwardly.

"RYAN!"

Sharpay had stomped back. "Stop talking to her and LET'S GO!"

Ryan narrowed his eyes, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and walked after her.

"You don't have to be so hard on her," Ryan muttered at her.

"Why do you always stick up for her?" Sharpay demanded. "She's just a dowdy nerd, and WE don't need that kind of person in OUR musical!"

"When did this become an issue of US again…?"

The strains of their bickering echoed down the hall, mixing with the swirling colors of the jovial Wildcats and the shuffling of sneakers along the hall. Tara stared at the spot where Ryan had been for a minute or so.

Taylor turned to Emily. "I'm going to go to class… good luck with her."

"I'm going to need a miracle," Tara whispered, finally turning away from the spot. She stood up, a delicate shade of pink.

"Oh my God, you're so pink," Taylor noted, worried. She pulled Tara into a hug. "She really embarrassed you, didn't she?"

Tara made an indicative noise as she buried her face into Taylor's neck. Emily glared at a spot on the ceiling.

"You can't take this crap from her anymore," Emily told her. "She's tormented you since grade school, and kept you from the things you want to do."

A thought struck Taylor. "What about the boy you like? Can he help?"

Tara turned beet red and pushed away from her. "No! No, he…"

Emily rolled her eyes and grabbed Tara by the arm. "We should get to class before Tara loses her mind completely."

Taylor laughed. "Of course. See you in Darbus' class!"

"Bye Taylor!" Emily called, dragging Tara behind her.

"See you in Ac Dec…" Tara called as well, tripping over her loose socks. Emily seemed determined to keep hauling Tara down the hall, though, and Tara didn't have enough gumption to tell her off. Emily let Tara go right before they walked into Math, both of them standing in a small alcove between two lockers.

"I thought you were keeping your crush a secret," Emily frowned.

Tara licked her lips. "I am. I didn't say anything to her, or to Sharpay, or –"

"To Ryan?" Emily laughed derisively as Tara's expression changed from one of composure to one of chaos. "It was only three thousand percent obvious that you're in love with him."

"…That's only because you know about it!" Tara tried to cover it up. "I mean, Taylor didn't say anything –"

"Taylor's too nice to say anything," Emily pointed out. The two of them walked into class and took their usual seats in the third row. "My point is, you can't be such a spaz when you see him!"

"You saw what he did, didn't you?" Tara questioned.

"He pushed your glasses back up your nose." Emily rolled her eyes. "Textbook example of a guy having NO IDEA how to react in a situation."

Tara made a small noise of dissent before taking out her notebook, reading herself for a new school year she wasn't sure she wanted to take part in.

-

"_Heaven… must be missing an angel… missing one angel, child –_"

Sharpay glared at Ryan, who was singing quietly as he took books out of his locker during the free period.

"What on EARTH are you singing?" Sharpay demanded to know.

"Tavares," Ryan responded in an affronted manner.

"…What?" Sharpay shook her head. "I don't want to know." She shut her locker, shielding the pink decorations and glittery sequins from view. "Ryan, why are you in a bad mood today?"

Ryan snorted. "I don't see why I you bully Tara Flanaghan."

Sharpay flipped open a mirror compact and began touching up her eye shadow. "Since when do you care about what I do to her?"

"Since she dissolved into a nervous wreck around anyone associated with you," Ryan glowered, "including me."

Sharpay dropped her eye shadow wand, giving Ryan a confused and dumbstruck look.

"She's our lead chorus girl," Ryan quickly added, "and I don't want to work with someone who's afraid of me. Not to mention that if you bar her from the musical, it'll be a nightmare trying to find a replacement."

Sharpay picked up her wand before laughing. "Ryan... you worry too much."

On the other side of the locker bay, Taylor was talking to Gabriella on her cell phone.

"I'm serious, if we don't get Tara away from Sharpay soon, she's going to refuse to show up at school," Taylor explained. "Sharpay's stolen all of her self-esteem… what little of it she had, anyway." Taylor paused. "It would be wonderful if we could get her set up with the guy she likes, but one problem… yep, you nailed it. I don't know how we'll find out, either –"

Emily and Tara stomped down the hallway, arguing and nearing Ryan, Sharpay, and Taylor.

"If you'd just grow a SPINE and tell him how you feel –" Emily chided loudly.

"You know perfectly well WHY I can't do that!" Tara screeched back.

"Oh yes, your irrational FEAR of ASSERTIVE WOMEN gets in the way, doesn't it?!"

"I am NOT AFRAID OF THEM ALL, look at YOU –"

The two ran out of earshot, still bickering. Taylor gaped at them before turning to Gabriella on the phone.

"Gabriella, I think I just figured out who Tara likes," Taylor murmured. "She was arguing with Emily, and I think… I think she might like Chad!" Taylor paused again. "I know – no wonder she wouldn't tell us!"

Sharpay had also heard the argument. She turned to Ryan with a wicked smile on her face.

"Oh, that's rich," Sharpay sneered.

"What?" Ryan asked.

"A fear of assertive women," Sharpay laughed. "That means me, but that would also mean Gabriella Montez, now wouldn't it?"

"…I guess," Ryan replied, puzzled. "Where are you going with this?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sharpay walked down the hall, Ryan following her. "That Tara girl must be in love with Troy Bolton – why else wouldn't she be able to tell him? All the girls on campus think he's dreamy… it makes sense that she would be no exception."

Ryan clicked his tongue. "...How can you be so sure, though?"

Sharpay tapped her pink heels against the tiled ground. "Haven't I always been right about these things?"  
Ryan sighed, looking a little dejected. "…For the most part, yes."

A/N: This is my first foray into HSM fiction, which makes me even more liable to getting slammed for how crazy this story is. Most HSM fictions follow certain story lines: Troyella stories taking place in the future or in AU universes, Troypay stories taking place after an inevitable Troyella breakup… I really didn't want to do a story like that. Which is why I came up with this bizarre little thing. Just so you know up-front, the story is nine chapters long, varying in length from short vignettes to long flashback-driven episodes…

You can already tell how bizarre it's going to be.

A/N 2: Just to clear this up now, there is no Troypay in this story. I'm sorry… if that upsets you, you can leave…

DISCLAIMER: I don't own HSM!! Shocker! (Not really, eh?)


	2. Chapter 2

**#2 - Can You Take Me?**

Sharpay giggled for no reason as she walked to the girls' bathroom. Actually, there was many a reason for her giddiness. She had an entire plan figured out by the end of math concerning Tara's infatuations. She knew exactly where Tara was at that precise moment. And Tara's friends were just like her – all but Taylor and Emily. Sharpay groaned. Those two could be dealt with later.

Sharpay listened for the tell-tale sounds of a piano being played, and, right on cue, she heard them. She strutted down the hallways, heading for the music room. Reaching the wood-grained door, she could just imagine Kelsi Nielsen playing her beloved piano to a tune she created. As Sharpay listened, she picked out the airy soprano belonging to Tara, and allotted herself a moment of jealousy.

She was even better at singing than she was last year – and much better than Sharpay was, for sure. It had been like that since Tara transferred from West Elementary in her fifth grade year and promptly tried out for the leading role in that year's Winter Musical. Sharpay recalled how, for an instant, it seemed like Tara would have the lead – but Sharpay put an end to it quickly. Sharpay smiled. Tara had grown less nervy with every subsequent year afterward, and this year was no exception.

Sharpay listened in on the music Tara sang for a few seconds.

"_Hiding my eyes, hiding the key to my feelings – with a look, with a shock, I am gone," _Tara sang, floating the notes in an ethereal tone. "_An echoing void, a simple stare, sending me off the edge – with a look, with a blink, I part again…"_

Kelsi turned the page to the sheet music. Tara clutched her sides, getting into the song. "_And why, why do I try -try to make you mine, when I can't even make myself happy! And when, when will life begin, begin to make me smile…?_"

Sharpay couldn't take the insult of her voice any longer. Sharpay slammed the music room door open. Kelsi jumped a foot off of the piano bench and Tara turned a lively shade of pastel green.

"Sharpay!" Kelsi cried, shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'll ask about the song later," Sharpay assured her coldly. "I really came here to talk to Tara."

"You… you made yourself very clear earlier," Tara murmured graciously. "I have no intention of –"

"Not about THAT," Sharpay groaned, slicing the air with her hand. "I heard the argument you were having with Erica or whatever her name is –"

"Emily," Kelsi corrected.

Sharpay shot her a withering glance. " – and I think I can help you with your boy troubles."

Tara's eyes grew as wide as the baubles on Sharpay's arms. "What?"

Kelsi was also skeptical. "…That's an odd offer coming from you…"

"It's never too late to extend the hand of friendship, right?" Sharpay cooed. Tara flinched. Her voice was ridiculously syrupy, like she was hiding something fairly major behind the sugar-coated glee.

"You've been mocking me since grade school," Tara whimpered. "How do I know this isn't a plot?"

Sharpay's demeanor went from joyful to sour in an instant. Her glossy lips twisted into an ugly frown.

"Okay listen," Sharpay spat, her face inches away from Tara's quivering frame. "I was able to figure out who you're in love with, and don't think I'm going to just forget about that fact. And I didn't want to bring the Fall Musical into it, but I guess I have to."

"What are you -?" Kelsi began before Sharpay's voice overpowered her.

"You were so… _adamant _in insisting that YOU would tell him your feelings on your own. Without help." Sharpay compulsively picked a piece of Tara's hair and threw it behind her ear. "Well… if you tell him within the month, I'll make sure you get into the musical."

"And if I don't…?" Tara ventured to say. Sharpay grinned malevolently.

"I have a lot of influence in the drama department," Sharpay informed her. "As for your crush, I'll tell him myself… and I can twist the truth fairly well, as you know."

Tara's face went even greener. "Sharpay, you don't understand. He can't know, he –"

"That's going to change very soon, then," Sharpay cut her off before walking out of the music room. She turned quickly to Kelsi as she exited, her fingers resting on the doorframe. "Oh, and Kelsi… that song is far too slow for the musical. I'm sure you weren't going to use it."

"Of course not," Kelsi responded out of habit.

Sharpay left, closing the music room door behind her. Tara quickly leapt into Kelsi's arms, on the verge of tears.

"Oh KELSI!" Tara shrieked in her angst.

Kelsi patted her head nervously, her own hands shaking. "You can't let her get to you like that!"

"Everyone says that," Tara noted with a sniffle. Kelsi felt her shirt sleeve grow wet. "But this time… this time I have every reason to be afraid… The month ends in two weeks, Kelsi! What do I do?!"

"How could she know about your crush on Zeke?" Kelsi wondered.

Tara quickly unburied herself. She stared, dumbstruck, at Kelsi. "What?"

"You like Zeke… don't you?" Kelsi mused. "At least, that's what Chad told Jason, who told Troy, who told me…"

"No…" Tara replied slowly. "Kelsi, if you promise not to tell anyone…"

Kelsi sat silently. "Only if you want to. I know you told Emily…"

"Emily kind of found out on accident," Tara admitted. "She read my diary one night..." Tara trailed off, bright red. Kelsi didn't ask what Tara had written there.

"But… yeah. Kelsi… I'm in love with Ryan Evans."

Kelsi blinked before gasping. "Oh my GOD, and if Sharpay -!"

"I KNOW!" Tara moaned, collapsing onto the piano bench. "He HAS to listen to anything she says!"

"…I didn't know that the lyrics to that song we wrote together were so real to you," Kelsi admitted. "No matter. Disregarding the fact that Sharpay is psychotic, how are you going to get Ryan away from her without her noticing?"

"Not to mention that he'd never date anyone as plain as me," Tara realized before pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose once more. "I mean, look at me!"

Tara stuck her arms out, showing off her scrawny arms, ample bosom, and spindly legs. "I look like a human Q-tip!"

"…Well, we have all month to figure out a plan," Kelsi pointed out. "I'll help you… and Emily will be excited, I bet; she told me that she's sick of hearing you complain about him without you doing anything about it…"

Tara smiled at Kelsi. "All right. I'm going to tell him how I feel!"

A/N: The title of the song Tara is singing in the beginning is actually a poem I wrote called _Can You Take Me?_ That's where the name of the chapter comes from.

A/N 2: SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT! If you like Gorillaz and High School Musical, visit my author page and read Kong School Musical, which is my melding of the two stories. It's bizarre, but hey, if you like Gorillaz, you're used to the bizarre.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own High School Musical. MAJOR SHOCKER right there, right? Right? (crickets…) …I hate you all.


	3. Chapter 3

**#3 – Conflict of Interest**

Tara sat next to Taylor during Ac Dec, traces of puffy redness beneath her eyes. Taylor imagined that this was because of the argument she'd had earlier with her best friend. Gabriella sat next to Tara, tucking some silky black hair behind her ear.

"You know, Tara, we heard about your argument with Emily," Taylor told her.

Tara sighed inwardly. Who hadn't?

"I know you're very independent," Gabriella said, "but if you need any support, we're here to help."

Tara was taken aback. She always knew that Taylor and Gabriella were ridiculously kind and helped anyone they could, but the fact that they weren't laughing at her – or threatening her, like Sharpay – made a world of difference.

"Thank you… but my friends and I have decided that I need to tell him," Tara replied, "on my own."

Gabriella giggled. "All right. But what if he -?"

"Says no?" Tara stared at the equations she'd written down on her Ac Dec folders, listless. "I'm expecting that."

Taylor and Gabriella exchanged looks.

-

"I love Tara to death, but I can't just pretend I don't love my boyfriend," Taylor told Gabriella after school that day. The two of them were waiting for Troy and Chad so that the four of them could walk home, as they'd planned.

"How can you be so sure that Tara likes him?" Gabriella noted. "Because I saw Sharpay earlier, and she was telling Ryan that she knew who Tara liked… we could ask her –"

"No way," Taylor interjected. "Sharpay has it IN for Tara. You know how Tara has less self-esteem every year? That's Sharpay's fault."

Gabriella frowned. "Well… I still think you're jumping to conclusions. What if Tara likes someone completely different?" Gabriella crossed her legs. "What, exactly, did the argument consist of?"

"Well, Tara and Emily were arguing over why Tara can't tell whoever she likes how she feels," Taylor explained, "and Emily said that Tara has a fear of assertive women…"

"Okay," Gabriella smiled. "That could mean you."

"Making her crush Chad," Taylor sighed, "and setting her up for heartbreak."

"It could also mean Sharpay," Gabriella added.

Taylor laughed. "And make Tara's crush WHO?"

"…Zeke?" Gabriella offered. "Ryan?"

"Not Ryan," Taylor said. "She's just as afraid of him as she is Sharpay. He was trying to help her with her stuff this morning, and she was flat-out terrified."

"Whatcha talking about, ladies?"

Troy and Chad were standing over Gabriella and Taylor (respectively), a baseball bat in Chad's hand and a basketball under the crook of Troy's arm.

"Remember Tara Flanaghan?" Gabriella questioned.

"Skittish little thing, right?" Troy noted. "And smart, really smart…"

"With those cute glasses," Chad continued. "But she's stuck in the eighties…"

"Well, yeah, Taylor thinks she knows who Tara likes," Gabriella finished.

Troy spun the basketball on his finger. "Really? Zeke, right?"

"Zeke? No way, man, that was last year," Chad corrected him. "Martha told me that she heard from that cello player that Tara likes Jason."

Taylor put her face in her hand. "So NO ONE knows who Tara really likes, do they?"

Troy and Chad exchanged glances. "…No."

The four of them looked at each other before Troy suddenly snapped. "Well, _I_ will try to get her with Zeke."

"Then I'll try to get Jason with her," Chad retorted.

"I have the sneaking suspicion that she likes you," Taylor laughed, pointing at Chad, "and I'm going to find out if that's true."

Taylor and Chad ran off laughing. Troy followed after them. Gabriella slowly walked behind him, arms pulling at her loose green top.

"I'm going to protect her from this," Gabriella resolved before running after Troy.

A/N: Considerably shorter than the last chapters, I realize, but it's an important one, in that it introduces yet ANOTHER twist to the already twisted plot.

Yay plot twists.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own High School Musical. Sad but true.


	4. Chapter 4

**#4 – Prying Eyes**

Tara and Emily had barely gotten to their lockers before she had a visitor.

"Hey, Tara," Troy Bolton smiled. Tara stared at him for a few seconds before deciding that her mind hadn't exploded, and it was indeed Troy smiling at her.

"Hello, Troy," Tara smiled weakly. "How are you?"

"Good, all good," Troy said. Emily was shaking her head with a sly grin as she went to her own locker.

"So… what's up?" Tara wondered.

"Well, I had just heard – from a friend, you see – that you're having romantic trouble," Troy said with a genial look.

Emily swerved her head around to gawk at him. "How many people KNOW about that?!"

Troy blinked. "…Taylor told me, so –"

Tara frowned. _Note to self: never tell Taylor ANYTHING again._

" – I just wanted to know if Tara wanted to get her mind off of it… and I'd heard that Sharpay was being… well, Sharpay-ish to her. Gabriella, Taylor, Chad, and I are going to meet some friends at the arcade after school," Troy explained. "So… want to come?"

Tara turned to Emily, then back to Troy. "Sure, why not? Sounds like fun."

Troy nodded, waved, and ran to class. The entire way there, he had a gigantic smile on his face. His plan to help Tara together with Zeke was brilliant: just get a bunch of friends together and let the chemistry kick in.

Emily smiled at Tara. "Wow, that's cool."

"You can come with me," Tara told her. "Definitely. I mean, it all sounds really informal, and it'll be fun, I'm sure." Tara paused and then grinned. "I'm just glad that I'm getting invited somewhere! Usually it's YOU who gets to go places!"

"Hey, it's senior year," Emily beamed. "Time for some change, eh?"

"Definitely!"

From across the hall and to the left-hand side, Sharpay grinned vindictively. "See, Ryan, I was right. She is in love with Troy. Look at how happy she is, just because he talked to her."

"I don't see why you're blackmailing her," Ryan shrugged. "It's just not that big of a deal. She NEVER tries out for the main roles because she's so shy, anyway."

"She ALWAYS steals the spotlight, though," Sharpay grimaced. "She gets a memorable song every time, and upstages us!"

"For a brief moment," Ryan agreed. "Okay… I see where you're coming from." But his tone of voice didn't match the words coming from his mouth. Ryan stared at the ceiling, adjusting the brim of his teal porkpie hat.

Kelsi watched the scene as it was reflected from her locker mirror. She wrote something down on blank sheet music with a smile before noticing Troy running past her.

"Hey Kels!" he called. "You won't believe this, but I think I can get Tara's confidence back!"

And he ran off again. Kelsi bit her lip, wondering what on earth Troy was talking about. Kelsi went back to observing Ryan out of her mirror. She smiled – he was watching Tara talk to Emily. Kelsi marveled at how quickly they had gotten back on good terms after the previous day's blowout. She also noticed how Ryan's face was the faintest shade of pink, and how his eyes were twinkling as he saw Tara retie her ponytail, arms lifted and boy's dress shirt pulled up just enough to show a little skin on her hips.

Jason, from the doorframe of Ms. Darbus' room, looked up at Zeke, also hanging from the doorframe.

"Why are we spying on Sharpay?" Jason asked.

"Because she's beautiful," Zeke responded. "Besides, you seemed happy to spy on Kelsi."

Jason turned bright red. "…Yeah, okay, fine."

Taylor heard this exchange from within the classroom, turning to Gabriella, grinning. "See? Even if Tara liked Zeke or Jason, they obviously don't like her… And since when has Kelsi been an assertive woman, anyway?"

Gabriella put a hand to her mouth as Sharpay and Ryan entered the classroom, followed by Kelsi, then Emily and Tara. Troy ran in, ridiculously hyper, and Chad followed him, sitting behind Tara. Tara, noticing this, had the hasty urge to look at the people surrounding her. Emily, as always, was to her left. Behind her was Chad – Tara guessed that this was because Taylor was, diagonally, to her right. To her direct right was Sharpay, and Tara spent little time looking at her. In front of Sharpay was Ryan (Tara felt her heart flutter a little). In front of her was Kelsi, and next to Kelsi was Troy. To Troy's left was Gabriella.

Tara suddenly realized that she was surrounded by popular people. Tara turned to Emily, a pleading look in her eye. Emily glanced around at the people near Tara before shrugging.

"Hey, maybe it's… luck?" Emily smirked. Tara glared at her.

And EVERYONE heard that, thus sending everyone into a frenzy.

"See? She likes Troy," Sharpay whispered into Ryan's ear. Ryan preferred to be lost in his own thoughts. Kelsi turned towards Tara, grinning widely.

"Well, he IS right there," Kelsi said under her breath.

Troy turned to Taylor. "See? Zeke is RIGHT BEHIND CHAD!"

"And Chad is right behind her," Taylor snickered.

"Dude, Jason is right next to me," Chad corrected them.

Jason turned to Zeke, diagonally left from him. "Kelsi is only two rows ahead of me!"

"And Sharpay is so close!" Zeke responded.

Tara let her head hit the desk. Ms. Darbus was quick to notice.

"Good MORNING, Miss Flanaghan!" Ms. Darbus barked. "I see you're still in summer vacation mode!"

"In all honesty, Ms. Darbus, I really want to change seats," Tara begged.

Ms. Darbus scoffed. "You picked your seat and now you want to change it?"

Troy blinked. _What about Zeke?_

_What about Troy? _Sharpay thought.

_What about Chad? _Taylor wondered.

_She'd move away from Ryan to get away from Sharpay?! _Kelsi thought.

"I'm sorry, Miss Flanaghan, but I can't honor your request," Ms. Darbus frowned. "Now, for our senior year opener, we will be exploring the wondrous world of Franz Kafka…!"

Kelsi stared at Tara. Tara's shoulders dropped precipitously.

-

Tara took a deep breath. She was going to do it just like Kelsi told her to – stand up tall, walk up to him, and just ask to talk to him alone. Tara adjusted her glasses, rid her mind of negativity, and strolled up to Ryan's locker.

Thank God he was alone, gathering his theater things. Tara took one last shaky breath and tapped Ryan on the shoulder.

Ryan swerved around, no doubt expecting to see the cloying face of his sister. After realizing it was Tara, his smile returned.

"Oh, hey, Tara," Ryan nodded. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Tara responded, turning a bit red. "And you?"

"…All right," Ryan replied after a bit of thought. "What's up?"

Tara calmed herself. Here it came… "I need to –"

"TARA!"

Troy ran past, yanking Tara's arm and sending her flailing after him. "LET'S GO!!"

Ryan watched Tara desperately trying to break Troy's grip, but she couldn't. Soon Taylor and Chad were running with Troy, acting just as maniacal as their captain.

"…Great." Ryan's face became bitter as he slammed his locker door shut. "Great!"

"What's great?"

Ryan flinched. "Kelsi."

"What's great?" she repeated, pouting.

"…Nothing," Ryan replied, not looking at her. "Absolutely nothing."

Kelsi, inexplicably, smiled.

"Tara wasn't able to talk to you, was she?" Kelsi ventured.

Ryan blinked, but didn't turn around. "…Doesn't matter. At the end of the day, she's still afraid of me."

Kelsi kept her mouth shut and watched Ryan retreat, left alone with his emotions.

A/N: The idea of Troy running around like a total moron makes me giggle insanely.

A/N 2: It's been a while since I updated, I know, but life has taken a toll on me – birthdays, term papers, musical rehearsals, and finishing my novel have all prevented me from posting nearly anything. I apologize for the absence… and I give you one of my favorite chapters as a gift.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own HSM, unfortunately.


	5. Chapter 5

**#5 – Nobody Who Understands**

"Troy, I was in the middle of something -!" Tara tried to tell him.

"Anything you tell him will go to his sister," Chad spat. "You're better off with us."

"A-HEM."

Gabriella and Martha Cox stepped in front of Troy's marauding party.

"Gabby!" Troy cried. "Ready to go to a party?"

"The party can wait for a few minutes," Gabriella told him. "I think you should see this."

Martha handed Troy a paper, pulling Tara from Taylor's arms. Tara practically fell onto the plump dancer.

Troy looked up from the paper in horror. "So she's –"

"Barred from the performance," Gabriella finished.

Troy turned to Tara. "You can't audition?!"

Taylor seized the paper from Troy and swore. "God, that Sharpay! How serious does this get?!"

"Serious?" Martha questioned.

All eyes turned to Tara.

"It says here that you can't audition for the Fall Musical," Chad explained.

"Yeah, Sharpay would make sure of that," Tara stated flatly. "She's… ah… made things very clear with me."

Gabriella could tell Troy was getting mad, so she put a hand on Tara's shoulder.

"…The sooner we get this out of your mind, the better," Gabriella smirked. "Come on, let's go to the party."

"It's going to be a lot of fun," Martha promised. "Emily's already left for it… she told me to tell you."

Tara nodded, a lump rising in her gut. If she had just told Ryan how she felt, everything would be all right…

-

"Shar, how do you tell someone you love them?" Ryan asked as he painted over the light blue dressing room with glossy white.

Sharpay nearly knocked over a bucket of paint she was using on the doorframes of the dressing rooms. "What?"

Ryan bit his lip. "There's a girl."

"Okay."

"And I want to tell her how I feel."

"Then tell her."

Ryan shook his head. "Easy for YOU to say."

"Just because I've never loved anyone but myself…" Sharpay continued to glare at her brother. "What, are you in love with Kelsi or something?"

Ryan groaned. "I shouldn't have asked you. Now you're not going to leave me alone about it, and you'll force it out of me…"

Sharpay rolled her eyes, stepping off of a ladder. "Ryan, I have some more important things to deal with than your potential girlfriend." Sharpay grabbed a large paint roller off of a nearby tool bench before returning to her ladder. "And if you really love this girl, just take her aside during school and kiss her. That should get her attention."

Ryan paled considerably. "Any other options?"

"…Yeah, you can just take her aside and tell her," Sharpay responded. "But I wouldn't bother with Gabriella, Ryan."

"I don't like Gabriella," Ryan retorted.

Sharpay batted her eyelashes, something resembling sympathy on her face. "You've been really moody lately. Are you okay…?" Her voice also had a sympathetic quality to it that Ryan had never heard before.

Ryan shook his head. "We'll find out soon enough."

-

The arcade center was a hulking building of black metal and plate glass, where thousands of arcade games, dance floors, and pizza parlors met in some sort of twisted union. Emily loved the arcade; Tara had never been. Thus, Tara spent the better part of an hour being dragged around by Emily before being able to break free to talk to some other people that Troy had gotten together.

Tara got on very well with Martha and Gabriella, and, of course, Taylor and Kelsi. Kelsi's crush Jason was very amiable, if completely braindead; Zeke was nice enough until he revealed his crush on Sharpay, which sickened Tara enough to make her seek refuge with Martha and Gabriella.

Troy and Chad just didn't get it.

"Oh for God's sake," Chad finally muttered, feeding more quarters into an ancient Pac-Man machine.

Troy nodded furiously, one eye on the House of the Dead screen and the other on Tara (socializing with Kelsi and Jason – Jason had his arm around Kelsi). "She's talked to EVERYONE… and she hasn't even shown an inkling of interest in any guy!"

"Brilliant idea, Troy," Chad muttered before something caught his eye. "And now Ryan's here. Tara's going to have a coronary."

Troy grinned weakly. "As long as –"

"Hi Troy!" a familiar bouncy voice called.

Chad and Troy groaned simultaneously.

"Brilliant idea," Troy reiterated unenthusiastically before turning around. "Hello, Sharpay."

Sharpay giggled. Troy tried to think of kittens, or waterfalls, or something PEACEFUL, but the overwhelming urge to kick something was ever-present. Troy took it out on the trigger of his rosy red gun, blasting zombies' heads off with too much vigor.

Chad would have told Sharpay to go away, but watching Troy get all worked up was too funny.

Meanwhile, Kelsi let Jason run off without her, leaving Kelsi and Tara together.

Kelsi grinned widely at Tara before pointing surreptitiously to something just out of earshot. "Hey, Tara, I think I see something that might interest you."

Tara twirled around and immediately twirled back towards Kelsi, her face purplish-red.

"Ryan!" Tara breathed.

"…Good timing?" Kelsi shrugged. "You never know… why not ask him to -?"

Chad jumped next to Tara. "TARA!"

Tara leapt at least five feet in the air, flailing for a second before calming herself down. "…Hi Chad!"

"Troy wants to get a Dance Dance Karaoke Party Xtreme tournament going," Chad explained. He handed Kelsi and Tara paper. "So write your names down on the paper."

"Are we doing partners?" Kelsi wondered.

"Yeah," Chad nodded. "The names are gonna get put into Ryan's ridiculous green hat –"

Tara's grin stretched a little.

" – and the guys will draw names out of a hat to find out their partner. Then we'll just throw two teams against each other and go from there."

Tara handed the paper to Kelsi, smiling at Chad. "Should be fun. Troy really knows his way around this place, doesn't he?"

"He's been coming here since grade school," Chad agreed. "When he gets bored with hoops…"

"So he doesn't come much anymore?" Tara concluded.

"…Not as much as he used to," Chad replied. "Well, everyone's gathering around the machine –"

"We'll go then," Kelsi grinned. Chad walked away – just in time to miss Tara jump up with excitement.

"Partners!" Tara murmured quickly as Kelsi and her wandered down a narrow hallway.

"Just think," Kelsi smirked. "This could work out well for you."

Emily caught up with the group. "Where are you going? The machine is THIS way, bird-brains!"

-

Troy and Chad smiled widely. They had a foolproof way of finding out if they were right.

Or so they thought. Taylor saw through the very obvious flaw in this tournament – Tara wouldn't be paired with every guy in the tournament. Just one.

Taylor turned to Gabriella with a groan. "I really hope that I end up with Chad."

Chad drew out a name. "Oh GOD no." Chad showed it to Jason, who winced.

"Sharpay," he murmured.

Troy wrote down the pairing in a small blue memo book before shoving his hand into Ryan's bowler hat. Ryan ran his fingers through his mussed up hair, lamenting his lack of a hat. Tara noticed how light his hair was – even when his hair was totally messed up, he looked like some sort of god.

Troy scribbled a name onto the pad. "Troy… Kelsi."

Kelsi smirked. "Better than Zeke," she murmured to Emily, "right?"

"Zeke is a nice guy," Emily hissed back. "Tara, what are you going to do if -?"

Troy muttered again. "Jason… Gabriella."

" – if you end up with Ryan?" Emily inquired.

Tara clenched her fists. "I'm not sure."

"Cello kid –"

"My name is Dustin," the cello-playing kid frowned. Tara had seen him around before – he always wore a beanie over his brown, tousled hair, and had admitted the previous year that he was a classical protégé, to incredulous fanfare.

Troy raised an eyebrow at Dustin.

"I didn't know that," Troy said, in awe.

"Yeah, Dustin," Dustin repeated.

"Okay then. Dustin… and Martha."

Ryan stuck his hand into the hat. Tara clutched the edge of her shirt. Gabriella saw, for a second, a fire in her eyes –

Ryan showed Troy his slip. "Okay… Ryan and Taylor…"

Gabriella watched as Tara covered her disappointment with a cursory glance to Emily, who looked back at her.

"So that means –" Emily began.

Zeke walked up to Tara. "I guess we're partners, then."

"Can you sing?" Tara inquired.

"Not so much. Can you dance?"

"Not at all."

Zeke and Tara nodded officiously.

"We're doomed."

"Yep, that's for sure."

A/N: My favorite Troy line ever. "Brilliant idea. Hello, Sharpay." You can almost imagine him saying it the same way he says "Daddy" in HSM2. Don't know why I'm talking about this, though.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own High School Musical. Although, if we were to take a lesson from Big Daddy, if I buy a share of Disney, I technically own a bit of HSM…


	6. Chapter 6

**#6 – A Jazzy Flame**

"You SUCK at dancing!" Taylor laughed after Dustin and Martha won the gaming tournament.

Tara turned pink. "We can't all be good at popping and locking."

"At least you sang," Zeke conceded. "…I was horrible…"

"Well, at least we got out first round," Tara admitted. "…I wonder why Emily didn't try."

Zeke looked around. "Emily?"

"Emily Houston," Taylor nodded, pointing to Emily. She was trying to teach Gabriella the finer points of playing with a pinball machine. Gabriella's reflexes remained frustratingly slow. "The one with Gabriella."

"…She looks familiar," Zeke confessed, "but I can't place her."

"She's Dame Houston's daughter," Taylor added.

"Dame Houston? The Performing Arts Center owner?"

"The same…"

Tara noticed that Ryan, hat back on his head, was playing Mr. Driller with a cocky smile. Tara checked to make sure that Taylor and Zeke wouldn't miss her – and they were far too busy talking about Emily and Dame Houston to miss her – before tiptoeing over to him.

"Hey Ryan," Tara greeted.

Ryan glanced over quickly before doing a double take. Pausing the game, he smiled at her. "Are you going to tell me what you needed to tell me earlier?"

"…yes," Tara nodded, her face turning a delicate shade of pink. "Ryan… please don't get mad at me for saying this –"

"Why would I get mad?" Ryan wondered.

"Because…" Tara stared pleadingly into his eyes, her glasses hiding the pain in her eyes. "…Maybe I should just –"

Sharpay put a cold hand on Tara's shoulder. "What are you doing?"

Tara felt a tear poke out of the corner of her eye. Ryan, once again in the grip of an anticlimactic moment, frowned irately.

"Nothing," Tara whimpered.

"Go do nothing over there," Sharpay demanded, pushing her aside. Tara felt her legs swinging like ribbons, and she stumbled over her shoelaces before regaining her balance. She mused on the situation – once again, she'd been interrupted – before walking over to Emily and Gabriella.

-

A week passed. No more parties, no more attempts at asking Ryan out. However, Tara had suddenly become very popular. Troy Bolton kept offering to walk her to class, and when she finally agreed to do this, all he did was ask her a bunch of questions pertaining to Zeke, try to get her talking to Zeke, trying to get Zeke and her to do things after school…

Not that Chad was any easier to figure out. Chad, while he didn't drag Tara around the school like a security blanket, seemed overly concerned about Jason and Kelsi dating each other. While Tara understood why he'd be confused – Kelsi was FAR too smart for Jason – she didn't understand why Chad cared about it enough to bring it up every five seconds.

And, all of a sudden, Taylor was telling her that sometimes love lead to disappointment… an odd thing for a happily dating girl to be saying.

Gabriella watched this coaxing and prodding every day with an unpleasant look on her face and worry bubbling in her heart. All she wanted was for everyone to just leave Tara alone, but unless she voiced this opinion, nothing would come of it.

But she was sick of everyone trying to get Tara into a relationship. Gabriella knew they were just trying to help, but their helping was becoming harmful. As Gabriella walked down the hallways of East High, she thought about how Tara was never going to be able to ask out her crush if Troy and Chad didn't leave her alone –

"_It's never going to change for me… I accept it, and I know that's how it should be…"_

Gabriella paused. Was that singing…? Gabriella traced the wall with her finger, going towards the sound of the music. The tune of a piano being played also became evident.

"_But all I ever really wanted was to be yours," _the song continued, _"to be wrapped up in your arms and forget about the world… But that can't happen anymore… it's like a foot in the door…"_

Gabriella heard a voice murmur that the rhyme was good, and the scribbling of pencil on paper reached her ears. Gabriella found herself right by the music room door, and, out of curiosity, pressed her ear to the door.

"That's a much better first verse, wouldn't you say?" Kelsi's voice asked.

"Much better," Tara's voice agreed. "It goes better with the chorus…"

"Run the chorus one more time, can you?"

A little thud came from within. "…Kelsi… I only have a few more minutes until lunch ends. Can't we sing that one song…?"

Kelsi seemed to know what this song was, for she immediately began banging it out. It was a steamy, jazzy tune; Gabriella wondered why Tara liked it. Soon the accompaniment of a drum joined the piano.

"I know you, Tara, and I know that when you sing this song, you rock," Emily's voice called over the music. Gabriella noticed that Ryan was leaning against a nearby locker, listening to the music with a smile. Gabriella blinked.

"Then let's go!" Tara giggled before snapping her fingers. _"It had to be you! Wonderful you! I wandered around, and finally found somebody who… could make me true… could make me be blue… Or could make me be glad, just to be sad, thinking of you!"_

Gabriella suddenly realized who Tara wanted to sing to, and why she'd kept trying to talk to Ryan for those few days before the arcade party. Gabriella couldn't believe it – Ryan Evans. So she'd been right the whole time, and everyone else… was wrong, DEAD wrong. The little pieces of the puzzle fell together: Sharpay was the assertive woman preventing Tara from speaking her mind. Tara wasn't afraid of Ryan; she was in love with him. That fire in her eyes – why she hadn't told anyone, lest they think she suffered from a mutated form of Stockholm Syndrome – why she'd been hanging around Kelsi so often (she knew Ryan well, didn't she?)…

And, judging by the brilliant smile Ryan was giving to the text of his book, he felt the same way about her. Gabriella ducked down, to avoid detection, and continued to listen.

_"Some others I've seen might never be mean," _Tara crooned, _"Might never be cross – try to be boss – but they wouldn't do! For nobody else gave me a thrill… for all your faults, I love you still – It had to be you, it had to be you – it had to be you!"_

Kelsi began a piano solo. Gabriella looked at Ryan quickly – he continued to pretend to read.

Gabriella quietly slid into the music room. Tara was dancing around gleefully, her ponytail whipping around to the beat of the music. Kelsi smiled ever so knowingly as she banged soulfully on the keys. Emily was keeping beat on a nearby drum set, grinning widely. Gabriella was able to go unnoticed by the three, electing to hide underneath a large xylophone. Gabriella grinned. If only Tara could see Ryan's face at that moment – if only Ryan could see Tara's…

_"Some lovers I've seen… might never be mean. Never," _Tara scoffed, turning to Kelsi with a roguish smile. _"Might never be cross – TRY to be boss – but they'll never do!"_

_"Nobody else gives you a thrill?" _Emily threw out there.

_"With all his faults, I love him still! It had to be you, wonderful you – It had to be you!"_

The lilting melody of the piano line stopped, and Emily lightly tapped the drum one last time. Gabriella jumped out from beneath the xylophone and applauded raucously. Tara turned and gasped, tripping over her shoes and falling backwards into a chalkboard. Both Kelsi and Emily ran over to pick her up, but they were also gawking at Gabriella's sudden appearance.

"Gabriella!" Tara finally wheezed, steadying herself. "What are you -?"

"I couldn't hold it in any longer," Gabriella explained quickly. "I heard you sing, and… everything fell into place for me!"

Tara stared at her, shaking her head. "Yeah… no. I don't get it."

"Okay." Gabriella sighed, showing off her magnificent long lashes and amber eyes. "You might not know it, but a lot of people are hurting you."

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Like who?"

"Sharpay?" Kelsi inquired.

"Well, her…" Gabriella shook her head. "No. I'm talking about Troy, and Chad, and Taylor."

"Troy? Chad? Taylor?" Tara repeated. "They haven't been hurting me."

"…Actually, Tara… they overheard your argument with Emily, too," Gabriella revealed.

Kelsi put a hand to her mouth. "Oh my God. So they know that -?"

"They have NO IDEA who you like," Gabriella admitted, "and they think they're just helping you get your self-esteem back… but if they continue trying to 'help', they're going to scare away the guy you really like!" Gabriella paused. "I don't know how Sharpay figures into this, but…"

Emily crossed her arms, smiling. "So… do you know who Tara really likes?"

"…Once you see it, it's obvious," Gabriella smiled lightly, walking up to Tara. "I thought that you were afraid of him, just like everyone else did… but hearing you sing that song made me figure it out. And then everything made sense." Gabriella smiled at Tara, who returned it uneasily. "I would say his name, but…" Gabriella lowered her voice sharply and turned towards Tara's ear, whispering, "…he's outside listening to you sing."

Tara jumped a good five feet in the air, beet red. "WHAT?!"

"…He's in love with you, Tara," Kelsi murmured. "I would have told you, but every time I tried…"

"Something got in the way?" Tara sighed. "That seems to happen a lot to us."

Gabriella hugged Tara. "Why don't you sleep over at my house tonight? All three of you?"

Emily grinned at Gabriella. "What's the occasion?"

"…No occasion," Gabriella beamed. "We're just… undertaking a social services project. Tomorrow, Tara, you're going to be the happiest girl in the world."

Tara gripped the fabric of Gabriella's shirt as she held her tightly. "…Why are you helping me?"

"Because all the help you've gotten hasn't helped you at all."

-

"Troy?"

Troy looked up to see Ryan staring at him. Troy felt a frightened shiver rattle up his spine.

"Ryan!" Troy responded, his voice at a squeak. "…Why are you staring at me?"

"I need help," Ryan told him.

Troy blinked. "…Shoot."

"…How did you get Gabriella to go out with you?"

Troy misconstrued the comment, and went on the offensive, brandishing a notebook at Ryan. "You aren't taking her!"

"I don't want Gabriella," Ryan rolled his eyes. "I need help with a girl, and I was wondering how you got into such a good relationship."

Troy smiled awkwardly – Ryan had just complimented him, and it was hard to feel angry when such an amiable person did that.

"Well… the musical," Troy shrugged. "That really helped… I guess music is what got us together." Troy moved his hands up and down. "It… it just kind of happened, you know? Like it was meant to be."

Ryan nodded, somewhat understanding. "Oh… okay." Ryan smiled. "Thanks a lot, Troy."

Ryan began to walk away. Troy, suddenly curious, shouted after him.

"What?" Ryan wondered.

"…Who's the girl?" Troy asked quietly.

"Oh!" Ryan turned a light shade of pink. "…Promise you won't tell her? Or anyone else? Or my sister – GOD DON'T TELL MY SISTER," he intoned in a gravely tone.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Ryan confirmed, grinning uncomfortably.

"Okay." Ryan took a deep breath. "…Tara Flanaghan."

A/N: Well, my favorite line in this story is right here – "Go do nothing over there." It's a line I used to use a lot in junior high, when I was a bit of an emo kid. (Understatement of the year.) I'm glad to finally include it in a fanfiction.

A/N 2: Thanks for all the support, guys! I'm just glad this bizarre little fish-out-of-water Importance-of-Being-Ernest-esque tale hasn't been shoved to the wayside.

SHAMELESS PLUG! And boy is it shameless. For all those interested in webcomics, I've published two one-shots – one for Penny Arcade, in particular The Wandering Age Cardboard Tube Samurai stuff, and another for PvP. (Diametric opposites, I know, but I love them both.) They suffer from no reviews and a low hit count. (By low I'm talking below five combined.) So if you're into that kind of thing… (Hope I didn't piss people off with the shamelessness.)

DISCLAIMER: All for NONE! I don't own the characters in this story I've begun! Let's rock and roll and just let go and feel the rhythm of the drum -


	7. Chapter 7

**#7 – East High Circa 2004**

"Tara Flanaghan?"

Troy nodded. Chad couldn't believe it. Troy had a hard time believing it, too, but he couldn't deny the fact that love is blind – how else does one explain why Zeke liked Sharpay, or why Kelsi and Jason were an item? Troy let out a stifled laugh.

"…Well, it's too bad that Tara likes Jason," Chad shrugged.

"You're still saying that?" Troy exclaimed. "Chad, what if Tara likes Ryan too?"

The two friends stared at each other.

"Not possible," Chad concluded. "Don't you remember when we first met Tara?"

-

_Chad Danforth thought he was pretty hot for a freshman. He was smart, and he'd made starting junior-varsity basketball. He and Troy Bolton were on the fast track to becoming the most popular kids in school – not bad for two best friends whose only goal was to shoot hoops after school. _

_One day after a particularly rigorous practice, Chad and Troy re-dressed in the red and white locker room, grabbing deodorant and socks from each other. (Their disorientation knew no bounds.)_

_"Hey, how're your classes?" Troy suddenly asked Chad. "I forgot to ask."_

_"Pretty good," Chad noted. "There's this one chick in my Math class who's a total crazy. And she has a twin brother who dresses… not like a guy." Chad shuddered. "Scary."_

_Troy finally realized he was trying to put his shirt onto his legs and corrected his problem. "I think I have those two in my English class. Isn't her name… like… Sharpay or something?"_

_"Is she blonde?" _

_"Yeah."_

_"That's the name," Chad recalled. "And her brother… Ryan?"_

_"Sounds right," Troy said in a flat tone, closing his locker. Chad followed him out of the boys' locker room and into the crowded halls of East High. They wormed their way through throngs of people in an effort to reach their lockers._

_"Do you remember where our lockers are?" Troy questioned desperately._

_"One more bay over," Chad recalled. "We're right by that really smart girl, remember?"_

_"Taylor?" _

_"There you go… ah, here we are!"_

_Chad and Troy dove into their lockers, desperately searching for their Biology books. Troy had to help Chad yank his book out from underneath piles of other books and a basketball._

_"It's the third day of school!" Troy grunted. "Why is your locker so full?"_

_"I don't know!" a voice behind the two wailed. Chad and Troy turned around._

_It was that blonde girl, Sharpay. Next to her was a frightened freshman girl, with pretty red hair, small round glasses, and thin legs. The redhead was frowning and clenching her fists._

_"Look, Sharpay, I don't know where HE is," she reiterated, barely hanging on to her composure. "I barely know the guy!"  
"Oh, so sad," Sharpay muttered. "…You didn't listen to me closely enough, then, did you, Tara? I WANT TO TALK TO HIM, AND IF YOU DON'T FIND HIM, I WILL MAKE SURE MS. DARBUS KNOWS ABOUT YOUR BAD GRADES."_

_"I have a 4.0," Tara said arbitrarily._

_"…You get my meaning. Right?" Sharpay narrowed her eyes before flouncing off, leaving a mortified Tara behind. Chad looked at Troy._

_"What'd I tell you?" Chad murmured._

_Troy whistled. "Crazy."_

_The redhead walked up to them quietly. "…Excuse me?"_

_The two turned around._

_"Yeah?" Troy asked._

_"Tara Flanaghan," Tara introduced herself._

_"Troy Bolton."_

_"Chad Danforth."_

_Tara nodded. "Nice to meet you. I was wondering… do you know where I can find a certain Ryan Evans…?"_

_Troy glanced at the ceiling, thinking. "Um… boys' bathroom?"_

_Tara smiled, and laughed quickly. Her voice was surprisingly airy. "…I don't really want to find anyone related to Sharpay, anyway… they can't be any good."_

-

"Tomorrow I'm going to ask that girl out."

Ryan was tossing a baseball into the air as he lay back on his bed, smiling widely. Sharpay was going to be swamped with dressing room renovations the whole day, something Ryan conveniently didn't have to do, citing his upcoming AP Physics exam as his reason for sneaking out. Kelsi was also part of the remodeling extravaganza. There was a free period right after homeroom, providing him with the perfect opportunity to tell her. Troy had agreed to be moral support if everything fell through.

The pit of Ryan's stomach sank. He wasn't going to think about failure now. He was SO CLOSE to getting the girl…

"I'm going to ask her out," he told himself again, "and I won't let Shar or Kelsi or anyone else interrupt me." Ryan paused. "Unless it's a teacher, I guess…" Ryan shook his head. "NO! No interruption!"

"Are you talking to yourself?" Sharpay called from the other room.

"…Yes," Ryan admitted.

Sharpay groaned before turning over in her bed. Ryan smiled. Moonlight poured upon his face – his bedroom window was wide open, and the sounds of the crickets' song echoed in his dark room. A cool breeze played with his messy hair earnestly, like a bored lover. Ryan grinned widely. He'd been waiting for the day when he'd get enough confidence to tell Tara how he felt. He thought about their first meeting – not a classic romantic encounter, with sparks and the like, but it was good enough…

-

_"Ryan Evans?"_

_Ryan looked around his locker door to see a scared redhead staring, with wide eyes, at him. Her lip quivered slightly._

_"…That's me," Ryan finally said._

_The redhead stared at the ground. "Okay. Your sister sent me to tell you that the drama teacher –"_

_"Ms. Darbus?" Ryan corrected her._

_The girl shuddered, as if his voice was scaring her. "…yeah… well, she wants to meet with you two after school."_

_Ryan blinked confusedly at the girl. "Why didn't Sharpay just tell me this?"_

_"Because she's made it her life's mission to torture me," the girl murmured before blinking away a tear. "…Even in high school, my GOD…"_

_"…Do you want me to talk to her for you?" _

_The girl gaped at him. "…You're not afraid of her?"_

_"Who are you, by the way?" Ryan asked._

_Suddenly, the girl felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up._

_"Emily," the redhead smiled._

_Emily stared at Ryan. "That's Sharpay's brother, Tara."  
"Yeah… I know," Tara responded. "…Just delivering a message…"_

_Emily dragged Tara off. "Come ON, Tara, do you want to be the Evans' messenger girl for the rest of your life?! Just stand up to her!"_

_"Yeah. You try that sometime…" Tara muttered._

_Ryan watched Tara trail after Emily, a bit of a pout on her lips._

-

Gabriella ran her comb through Tara's hair once more. "Really? That was how you met?"

"Guess you can thank Sharpay for something," Emily rolled her eyes. "She's so evil."

"…I don't understand why you hate her so much, though," Kelsi mused, pulling her arm through a nightgown. She plopped down on Gabriella's bed, inspecting the sprawling bedroom Gabriella called home. Light pink walls glowed in the bright moonlight, aided by Chinese paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling. "Or why she hates you, for that matter."

Gabriella worked through a kink in Tara's hair. "Yeah… I heard that you've been put through this since fifth grade."

"I have," Tara noted. "The school musical was coming up, and… I'd just moved to Albuquerque, all nervous and stuff. Emily took me in rather quickly –" Tara grinned at Emily. " – and a bit later I met Kelsi." She smirked as Kelsi rolled on the bed, trying to free herself from the heinous grip of a gigantic throw pillow. "…I heard about the musical – they were doing My Fair Lady – and I tried out for Eliza Doolitle." Tara felt Gabriella clamp a straightening iron onto her hair. "BIG mistake. Even back then, Sharpay was ultra-driven… she complained a lot to the teachers, and eventually I got shuttled into some background part." Tara smiled, but there was an underlying bitterness to it. "At first, Sharpay wasn't so bad. She was just mad about me being a better singer than her, but she was fine to me normally… but in seventh grade, she started to get a bit meaner… nastier… and she got worse and worse as it became evident that I still wanted to do musical theater. And I stood up to her less and less…"

Gabriella straightened another section of Tara's hair. "…Did you use to wear your hair down?"

"Yeah…" Tara shrugged. "But then I kind of… just stopped bothering with it."

"What about you, Emily?" Kelsi asked, falling to the floor. The throw pillow fell on her head and stayed balanced upon her curls. "Why do YOU hate Sharpay?"

Tara giggled. Emily glared at her before turning to Kelsi. "…I don't like how she treats Tara."

"That's not all, though," Tara teased. Gabriella laughed.

"Oh, really?" Gabriella mused.

"Yeah… Emily has a crush on Zeke," Tara whispered. Emily shot up off the ground, her long flannel nightgown flying at her ankles. Her dark face became the color of a blueberry.

"Tara -!" Emily whined before sitting back down, face turning a dark red. "…Yeah. That's a tiny part of it…"

"Maybe after we help Tara we can help you," Kelsi offered.

"…No, it doesn't work like that," Emily shook her head. "Zeke and I were friends, but in tenth grade, our families got into a huge fight. No more friendship." Emily turned to Tara. "Oh my God, Tara, your hair!"

Tara closed her eyes nonchalantly. "I have no idea what she's doing…"

"It's so pretty," Kelsi said with a laugh before pulling out a cosmetics bag. "Okay, Tara, I'm gonna get working on your nails."

"My nails?" Tara looked horrified. "My nails –"

" – are destroyed," Kelsi finished. She nodded knowingly to Emily, who went into Gabriella's closet.

"Thank God you're about the same size as Gabriella," Emily noted. "We can't have you wearing your Madonna music video reject clothes anymore."

Tara was scandalized. "Why?!"

"Because you're getting a new look," Gabriella smirked. "We're going to make you as beautiful as you're meant to be."

"A makeover? That was the whole point of this?"

"Well, yeah. You were in need of one," Kelsi pointed out as she filed down Tara's fingernails. "Ryan won't be able to keep himself off of you."

Tara choked. "OFF OF? What do you think I'm going to be DOING?!"

A/N: Obligatory flashback. Had to be done. Don't shoot me, I'm a LOST fan… so it makes sense to me. Probably not to anyone reading this. Oh well, I tried reasoning.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own High School Musical's RIGHTS. Technically I BOUGHT HSM on DVD, and the two soundtracks, and rants on…


	8. Chapter 8

**#8 – Pathology**

"Only five days until I get to tell the world about Tara and Troy Bolton," Sharpay intoned in a sing-song voice. Ryan would have glowered at her, but it wasn't worth his time. He didn't care who Tara supposedly "liked" – he was asking her out, and that's all he cared about. He adjusted his conservative (consider the source) black beret, hoping he looked good.

Kelsi Nielsen, from her locker, glanced at her watch. Tara would be arriving at school any minute now…

Meanwhile, Taylor was extracting books from her locker, thinking sadly about what she had to tell Tara. She took a deep breath as she heard the click of the locker across the way from hers, and turned around.

All of Taylor's thoughts were driven from her mind. Tara looked drop-dead gorgeous. Her red hair was out of its ponytail and flowing down her back, and her bangs were properly styled and out of her face. Her glasses had been forsaken for contacts, her fingernails were painted a light red that matched the gloss on her lips and the shadow on her eyes, and her blue eyes were rimmed by eyeliner and mascara. Her outfit wasn't eighties-chic: she wore a cute white button-down shirt over a red camisole with a black skirt that reached her mid-upper-thigh and clung to her hips. Tara irritably tapped her red Converse sneakers against the tile of the hallway as she dug through her locker, trying to find some book of some sort.

Taylor stepped up to Tara. "Tara?"

Tara whirled around and gave Taylor a dazzling smile. "Hey!"

Taylor was taken aback. "…You…"

"Emily and Gabriella and Kelsi made me over last night," Tara explained. "…To boost my confidence. And I think it did the trick!" Tara inspected herself in her locker mirror. "I look good…"

Tara took out her English book and closed her locker. "Wish me luck, Taylor – today I'm going to tell him how I feel!"

"Chad?" Taylor said breathlessly.

Tara gazed at Taylor for a long time, her expression slowly changing from confused to crazed.

"Are you kidding?" Tara finally asked. "…No! I wouldn't hit on a friends' boyfriend!"

Tara skipped away from Taylor, frowning guiltily all the while. Taylor mulled over what Tara had said in her mind.

"Wait, that means…" Taylor snapped her fingers, dropping her jaw. "Oh my GOD."

Taylor ran after Tara. Troy HAD to know this…

-

"Ryan!"

Both Ryan and Sharpay turned away from their lockers and gasped. Ryan turned a bright red color that made his thoughts perfectly clear; Sharpay choked on air and her eyes bugged out.

"Tara!" the twins sputtered, both bewildered.

Sharpay swallowed uneasily. "…You look good."

"Gabriella wanted me to gain confidence, and she figured a makeover would help," Tara smirked. "And God knows I need all the confidence I can get." Tara turned to Ryan. "How are you?"

"Better," Ryan responded. All he could think about was how Tara looked beautiful, more so than usual. He cleared his throat. "Actually, Tara, I –"

"You backstabbing freak," Sharpay hissed.

Tara blinked. "What?"

"You get Gabriella's help to make you over to get Troy to notice you?!" Sharpay cried.

Tara made a strained noise that sounded vaguely like hacking up a spitwad. She turned a nasty shade of green and sniffled.

"Troy?" Tara whispered dubiously. "Have you LOST your MIND?"

"Tara –"

"I'll see you later, Ryan," Tara cut him off. She stepped away from the siblings and trotted off, her fists clenched and her steps strident.

Ryan rounded on Sharpay. "You don't know WHEN to SHUT UP, do YOU?!"

Sharpay threw her hands up in the air. "What was I supposed to say, genius?!" Sharpay pointed at him. "Gabriella is going to kill her –"

"IDIOT!" Ryan yelled. He noticed that everyone in the hall was staring at him… everyone except the one person who mattered. He instinctively smoothed out his black shirt before sighing and pulling Sharpay into his arms.

"I'm really sorry, Shar," Ryan murmured. "But… I was trying to ask her to be my girlfriend, and… I'm sick of people preventing me from doing that. That's why I've been moody lately… and I'm sorry I couldn't tell you until now." Ryan let go of Sharpay and started to walk down the hall. "I'm going to try and catch her."

Ryan ran off, leaving Sharpay standing, flummoxed, by her open locker. She would have sunk to the floor, but instead, she hummed a bar of a song she knew all too well.

_"Bop, bop, bop, straight to the top," _she sang lightly. _"Going for the glory… he'll keep stepping up, and he just won't stop…"_

-

Tara sat down in Homeroom (Ms. Darbus' class) and the reaction was immediate. Chad didn't recognize her, Troy stared awestruck at her, Zeke stopped staring at Sharpay…

Tara wasn't sure she liked the attention. And, once again, she'd failed. Even with her 'new confidence'. She laughed under her breath. Confidence. Yeah right. It was just adrenaline. Tara stared at the ceiling, debating whether or not to balance her pencil on her nose.

Sharpay watched her uncertainly. She was beginning to think that, maybe, she had been way too hard on Tara. Hearing that Ryan was in love with her was sobering, to say the least, but Sharpay got the feeling that the damage was irreparable.

Ryan finally ambled into the classroom, shaking his head and sitting down without so much as a backwards glance. A chill rattled around Tara's body. He looked HOT. Her body was responding to the demands of her brain, much to her chagrin.

Sharpay quickly scribbled something down on a pink Post-It note and threw it at Tara. Tara bit her lip and read it.

_He was trying to find you._

Tara sighed and scribbled a message back. _Stop lying to me._

Ms. Darbus entered the room, aloof as usual. "Hello, class, stop talking and settle down."

Sharpay read what Tara read in horror. She really had destroyed Tara – irreparable was an understatement. Sharpay jotted down something extremely quickly and prayed that it would help as she sent it over to Tara.

"We are going to delve back into Kafka's _Metamorphoses_. We left off at page 543 of your textbooks, second paragraph. Ryan, if you could read…"

Ryan flipped open his textbook apathetically and began to read. Tara was surprised to hear that his usually theatrical tone had dampened significantly, and he sounded lifeless… out of touch. Tara slyly opened what Sharpay had written to her.

_Tara, you need to talk to him._

Tara shook her head, leaving the note lying on her desk. Ryan suddenly stopped reading aloud, seemingly lost in thought.

"Ryan?" Ms. Darbus asked.

Ryan stood up. "Ms. Darbus, I need to go to the bathroom."

"Then go!" Ms. Darbus called, annoyed. A few people giggled as Ryan retreated from the room. Tara shook her head sadly and slumped onto her desk.

Kelsi cried a tear for her.

A/N: And… Sharpay finally realizes how dumb she really is. I felt she needed a redemption moment than Troy, or Chad, or any of them, seeing as Sharpay was the catalyst for this whole story.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own High School Musical.


	9. Chapter 9

**#9 – Nothing To Prove**

"Look, it's free period… why don't you just go out there and tell him?" Kelsi wondered for the thousandth time.

Tara continued to watch dust on the piano in the music room swirl around in the wind. "Because he probably thinks I like some random person, too."

"Prove him wrong," Kelsi ordered.

Tara made a small, annoyed noise. "Kelsi, I love you like a sister, but you don't understand. Taylor thought I liked Chad, so there's bound to be people who believed her. And if Sharpay thought I liked Troy, she probably told a fair few people, too. If all the people I know thought I liked someone different and told people about it, that makes it look like I'm a flavor-of-the-week-type girl!" Tara paused. "Bad analogy… but you get what I'm saying. If I do tell him… wouldn't people think that, 'oh, but she liked so-and-so, what's she doing with Ryan?' And they'll start calling me a slut behind my back, and making my life miserable…"

Kelsi tapped a key on the piano. Tara slumped back into the stool by Emily's drum set, not willing to move. The music room didn't seem as inviting as it had before, for some reason.

"Tara… do you want to sing?" Kelsi asked.

"Yeah," Tara responded dully. "Let's do that…"

Kelsi pulled out some sheet music. "I wrote this for the Fall Musical… I was hoping you'd sing it."

Before Tara could express any kind of emotion, Kelsi began to play. Tara looked over at the sheet music, smiled, and started off.

_"Do you know how much it hurts?" _Tara intoned gracefully. _"Do you see the things that I see? I watch you all my life – and what is it for?_

_"If you felt the things that I feel, I'd be the happiest girl in the world… I guess it's too bad for me… It's the way love's supposed to be… I don't know who I am… anymore."_

Tara quivered as she finished the line. This was far beyond Kelsi's usual feel-good song realm. Maybe that's what made it so powerful.

_"And if you cared I'd give the world to you, make a beautiful garden and let it bloom… there's nothing I'd rather have – I want to wipe away all your tears, and get you over your nighttime fears… but that's not how it is."_

Tara was too caught up in the song to notice the door opening. Kelsi didn't quite see it, either; she wanted to make her piano-playing match the exquisitely heartbreaking sound of Tara's voice.

_"Do you see how hard I've fallen? Do you see how hard it is? I want to tell you everything – but everything's so weird…"_

_"So what if it's hard to say? I know that words get in the way –" _

Tara looked up, trying. Ryan. He HAD been looking for her.

He continued to sing. _"But whatever brings us together in the end…"_

Kelsi had stopped playing the piano. Two thoughts ran through her mind: _He came for her _and _He improvised singing those three lines to the beat of a song he'd never heard?! He's a GENIUS!_

Tara stared at him, her vacant expression vanishing. Her lips curled into a wavering smile, and her eyes were brimming with tears. She ran into his arms, burying herself in his chest. Ryan squeezed her tightly, showing no sign of letting go.

Kelsi moved her fingers away from the piano. "Do you guys want me to leave…?"

She was ignored.

"…Because I'll leave if you want me to," Kelsi informed them.

Once again, she was ignored.

"You're beautiful," Ryan told Tara. "Even before, you were beautiful."

"You're such a liar," Tara whispered.

"But you are," Ryan enforced. "…I love you."

Tara removed her head from his body and looked into his eyes. The sparks were overwhelming and impossible to overlook. Kelsi clasped her hands together nervously, waiting for Tara's response.

"I love you too."

Kelsi would have cheered, but Ryan leaned in and kissed Tara passionately. Kelsi watched for a few seconds before frowning tensely.

"Yeah, I'm gonna leave," Kelsi nodded to them both before opening the music room door. She walked outside, leaving Tara and Ryan tangled up in each other, walking past Gabriella talking to Sharpay.

" – but I don't understand why you helped her," Gabriella cooed. "I thought you hated her…"

"Her?" Sharpay scoffed. "I was doing it for my brother. He wanted to find her, so I helped him find her. Easy as that."

But Sharpay was smiling in such a way that suggested a different story. Kelsi strode past them, eventually seeing Troy, Chad, and Zeke in her peripheral vision.

"Ryan and Tara disappearing at the same time? Come on, it is BLATANTLY OBVIOUS that they have a thing for each other," Troy was saying to the other two.

"Just because Ryan came out and told you –" Chad protested.

"But if Emily can't find Tara, then chances are…" Zeke shrugged. "How'd he get so lucky?"

"Huh?" Troy spat out.

"Ryan. How come he gets the girl? I always thought he was…" Zeke looked around nervously. "…you know…"

Emily ran up to them just as Kelsi's back had passed them. She said something to the group, which resulted in Chad exploding.

"WHAT?!"

Troy started stammering. "Well… I mean, they… they're just… kissing, then…"

"HIM?!"

"Chad, come on. Wake up and smell the coffee."

Kelsi's steps quickened. She was unable to contain herself. Tara and Ryan had been discovered, then. She couldn't stifle a giggle as she skipped down the hallway. She swerved around to lean by Jason's locker. Jason extricated himself from the bowels of his cubbyhole a few seconds later.

"Hey, Kels," he grinned, kissing her brow. "…What are you so happy about?"

"My friend is finally happy with her life," Kelsi responded.

Jason blinked. "Oh. Did she, like, have a good holiday or something?"

Kelsi laughed. Ah, Jason. Good old Jason.

A/N: And with that extremely random, brief Jelsi moment, I end this story. Well, for a first try, I think I learned… that I need to post things faster. Seriously, I haven't updated it since Christmas of last year!! Oro. But it's over now… I did have a sequel planned, but it just got too weird.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO READ!!! You are all sweethearts, giving me great reviews! I love you all! Platonically of course.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own High School Musical. Wish I did. Then Tara could get her man…


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